Appeal No. 1996-2959
Application 08/399,853
1. A device for detecting gaseous and vaporous components
of a gas mixture, comprising: channel means for defining
optically perceptible reaction zones, said channel means
including channels, each zone being inside a channel; a support
for said channels, each channel having a gas inlet and a gas
outlet for parallel gas flow, each of said channels having a flow
axis following a course of said channel; a scanning device having
a scanning section, at least two of said channels being arranged
to define an angle, not equal to zero, formed between said flow
axis1 and said scanning section, each of said channels being
located in a position with a channel portion covered by said
scanning section.
THE PRIOR ART
The references relied on by the examiner as evidence of
obviousness are:
May 5,089,232 Feb. 18, 1992
Stark et al. (Stark) 5,397,538 Mar. 14, 1995
THE REJECTIONS
Claim 4 stands rejected under 35 U.S.C. § 112, fourth
paragraph, as being an improper dependent claim.
Claims 1 through 13 and 15 through 17 stand rejected under
35 U.S.C. § 103 as being unpatentable over either May or Stark.
Attention is directed to the main and reply briefs (Paper
Nos. 15 and 18) and to the answer (Paper No. 16) for the
1 Although the term “said flow axis” in independent claims
1, 9 and 17 lacks a proper antecedent basis (an informality which
should be corrected in the event of further prosecution), its
context and the underlying specification indicate that it refers
to the respective flow axis of each channel forming the stated
angle.
2
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